Trained as a urban geographer, Mengke's research interests span economic, social and cultural geography, particularly in the fields of urban and regional development in China, heritage conservation, and creative and cultural industries. She is currently developing her PhD thesis, which investigates the Winter Olympics-induced transformation of mountain areas in Chongli, a periphery of metropolitan Beijing, from spatial, economic, and social perspectives. This thesis is based on an SNSF project entitled “Uses of cultural heritage at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games of 2022” (2020-2024) and is supervised by Florence Graezer Bideau and Thierry Theurillat.

She holds a Master of Arts in China Development Studies from the Department of Geography at the University of Hong Kong, and a BA in Chinese from Zhejiang University. Her Master's dissertation discusses heritage discourse in urban China, with a case study of the Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal. Previously, she has been involved in research projects related to the spatial and social transformation of the Chinese danwei (work units), as well as live music and the digital platform in contemporary China.

Publications:

• Zhang, M. (2024). The state-led approach to industrial heritage in China’s mega-events: Capital accumulation, urban regeneration, and heritage preservation. Built Heritage, 8, 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-024-00144-1
• Zhang, M., & Xiao, Z. (2023). Platform-mediated live musical performance in China: New social practices and urban cultural spaces. Geoforum, 140, 103723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2023.103723
• Zhang, M., Zhang, T., Xiao, Z., & Chai, Y. (2021). Property rights redistribution and the spatial evolution of the Chinese danwei compound: a case study in Beijing. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 36, 1585–1602. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-020-09810-z
• Zhang, M., & Lenzer Jr, J. H. (2020). Mismatched canal conservation and the authorized heritage discourse in urban China: a case of the Hangzhou Section of the Grand Canal. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 26(2), 105-119. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2019.1608458